Power Of Language: Connecting SMBs With Bharat

A whopping 49% of urban active internet users today prefer to consume online content in Indic languages. This segment of internet users is referred to as Bharat. Apart from being a sizeable segment of the country's population, Bharat displays several other characteristics that makes it an ideal consumer for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Bharat is digitally savvy and affluent, with a representation of 33% and 34% in NCCS A and B segments, respectively. Even in higher education segments, Bharat has a high representation, at 39%, as compared to the overall urban active internet user, which is at 35%. The willingness of Bharat to spend on key consumption categories such as gadgets, travel, food and beauty products further substantiate its affluence and spending power.

Moreover, Bharat also exhibits strong loyalty to brands of their choice. When indexed to the overall active internet users, Bharat, at 110%, displays a higher tendency to stick with brands that it likes .

With small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) vying to establish and grow their business by exploring and tapping into new customer cohorts, Bharat becomes a must have in their growth strategy. However, traditional modes of customer outreach and engagement cannot be applied to Bharat due to its unique online behaviour.

Therefore, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) must devise customised strategies to effectively target Bharat.

Here’s how SMBs can effectively connect with Bharat

• Choosing the right platform

Aided by increased access to the internet and smartphones, Bharat today conducts a lot of its activities online. This is indicated in the way Bharat engages online - be it for entertainment, shopping online or consumption of news. A whopping 62% of Bharat remains active on social media, and this also plays a vital role in influencing Bharat’s purchase decisions. Thus, social media can be an extremely critical medium to connect with Bharat. However, given Bharat’s preference for Indic languages, it’s imperative for SMBs to be active on social media platforms that are language first.

ShareChat’s self-serve platform hosts a range of custom ad solutions that SMBs can leverage to connect with Bharat.

• Connect with Bharat using language-first communication

In order to understand and target Bharat consumers, SMBs will have to move away from the traditional English language-based marketing strategy. They must incorporate language-first communication in their campaigns to establish effective and impactful engagement with Bharat. Simply translating or transliterating will not be enough. The communication strategy will have to be created keeping different languages as the foundation.

• Incorporating regional and cultural nuance

While language will be key, SMBs will need to factor in the regional and cultural peculiarities in their marketing and communication strategy. Language first platforms that cater specifically to Bharat will be enablers for brands to do so. Such platforms have rich insights into the cultural complexity of India, which can then further be used to create sharper communication for defined cohorts.

• Collaborating with nano and micro language-first influencers

The Indic language preference of users has also given a rise to language-first micro and nano creators. Since these creators customize their content based on their audiences’ interests and preferences, they have a highly engaged audience that trusts them. For SMB brands, these creators can be an effective medium to not only reach their audience but also earn their target customers’ love and build brand loyalty.

With Bharat’s increasing online presence and social media activity, it is imperative for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to align their marketing strategies accordingly. ShareChat is a must-have platform for brands looking to tap into the untapped potential of Bharat. Here’s why:

• A language-first platform that enables brands to communicate with Bharat effectively in over 15 languages.
• 34 Cr monthly active users, across ShareChat and Moj, who spend an average of 31 minutes daily on the platform.
• 8 Cr creators who create content influenced by their deep understanding of the cultural complexity of Bharat
• 25,000 Cr+ monthly video views indicating a highly engaged audience
• A self-serve platform with a range of custom ad solutions to directly connect with Bharat.

Data source:

YouGov Study for ShareChat, Dec 2021